Level 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Flue relining
Before
After
Before
AfterChimney Cleaning Before & After in Pottstown, PA
We’ve been cleaning chimneys in Pottstown since 1984, and we’re still not numb to the surprise on a homeowner’s face when they see what was living inside their flue. These aren’t trophy shots. They’re evidence of what creosote, neglect, and Pottstown’s freeze-thaw cycles do to a chimney, and what a proper sweep with a camera inspection actually fixes.
Recent Transformations
Level-3 Creosote Removal, North Coventry Township
The homeowner in North Coventry Township smelled smoke in their living room every time they ran their insert. We found glazed creosote, stage three, reducing a six-inch flue to under three inches. Russell Haines, Owner, pulled the insert, ran rotary chains with HeatShield-compatible prep, and got it back to bare terra cotta. Camera inspection showed full circumference recovery. Draft tested at 14 pascals, well within safe range. Done right - and we stand behind it.
Fireplace Smoke Stain Restoration, Pottstown Borough
This Pottstown Borough fireplace hadn’t drawn right since the 1990s, and three different “sweeps” had told the owner to just burn hotter. We found a throat damper rusted to 40% opening and a smoke chamber parged with ordinary mortar that had slumped. Our technician replaced the damper with a Gelco unit, reparged with Chamber-Tech 2000, and ran a DuraFlex liner to specification. The smoke stains came off with professional restoration compound. Most jobs completed in a single visit - this one took a day and a half, priced upfront, no surprises on the bill.
Chimney Cap Failure and Water Damage, East Vincent Township
An East Vincent Township homeowner called about a smell they couldn’t place. The cap had rusted through four years prior, and every rainstorm since had sent water down the flue. We pulled a decomposing squirrel nest, found spalled flue tiles at the exposed top third, and documented everything with photos the homeowner could see. Russell recommended a partial DuraFlex liner rather than full rebuild, which saved the masonry that was still sound. A square deal: no surprises on the bill, and the 90-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Prefabricated Fireplace Factory Recall Repair, Lower Pottsgrove
The homeowner in Lower Pottsgrove knew their prefab fireplace was “from the 80s” but didn’t know the manufacturer had issued a safety recall. Our Level-2 camera inspection caught the hairline cracks in the refractory panels that a basic sweep would have missed. We sourced Olympia Chimney-compatible replacement panels, documented clearances to combustibles with photos, and filed the inspection report with their homeowner’s insurance. Photos you can see, a plain-English verdict. We’ll be there when we say.
Historic Chimney Rebuild, Douglassville Area
This one was borderline. A farmhouse chimney near Douglassville had lost its crown, shed bricks into the flue, and developed a lean that worried the insurance company. Russell Haines walked the homeowner through the camera footage frame by frame, showed them exactly which courses were salvageable and which weren’t, and priced a tiered option: stabilization only, or full rebuild with concealed liner. They chose the full rebuild. We matched the brick from a salvaged lot in Berks County, poured a proper four-inch crown with two-inch overhang, and ran DuraFlex from smoke chamber to cap. In writing, no arguing - the 90-Day Done Right Promise covers the masonry, the liner, and the cap.
Annual Maintenance Sweep with Hidden Obstruction, Sanatoga
A Sanatoga homeowner booked our $89 Seasonal Tune-Up thinking they’d get a quick sweep and a certificate. Our technician found clay liner fragments from a 2007 installation that had been shedding for years. The previous company had swept around them. We stopped the job, showed the homeowner the camera feed live, and explained that sweeping further would have pushed debris into the smoke chamber. Instead, we extracted the fragments, ran a full DuraFlex liner with proper top and bottom connections, and tested draft before we packed up. Calls answered by a live person, 24/7 - but it’s the technician in your living room who earns the trust.
Want Results Like These?
Every job starts with a camera inspection and ends with photos you can see, a plain-English verdict, and no-hassle upfront pricing. We’ve served Pottstown and the surrounding communities for over 42 years, and we plan to be here thirty more. Call (610) 819-4281 to book your inspection. Estimates are free, and a live person will answer.
Written by Russell Haines, Owner at Hearthstone Chimney Co., serving Pottstown since 1984.